Rebecca Evans: ...since we published the Wales infrastructure investment plan in 2012. You'll have seen investment, for example, of £1.7 billion to support the delivery of our £3.7 billion twenty-first century schools and education programme. That's having an impact in communities right across Wales. A sum of £2 billion was invested during this term for housing, delivering more than 20,000 affordable...
Rebecca Evans: We're providing an extra £102 million to the education portfolio next year in recognition of the impact of the pandemic on children and young people. This is in addition to the uplift of £176 million for local government, which will support front-line services, including schools.
Rebecca Evans: I have regular discussions with all colleagues and particular discussions with the education Minister in terms of how we can support those children and young people who have been badly affected by the pandemic. In response to the issues that we're facing as a result of the pandemic, we have launched the recruit, recover and raise standards plan, which is accelerating learning for individuals...
Rebecca Evans: ...demonstrated by the range of allocations I have made to directly support children and young people, including targeted support for the most vulnerable such as £23.3 million extra for free school meals and an extra £2 million for PDG Access.
Rebecca Evans: We have successfully concluded two procurement exercises, establishing the Welsh Education Partnership and awarding a contract to complete dualling of the A465. These contracts were contested by a wide range of bidders demonstrating the attractiveness of the model and that of Wales as a place of investment.
Rebecca Evans: ...'t think make up for the decade of austerity that has hit local authorities hard. I do want to address the serious issues that colleagues have, across the Chamber, commented on with regard to free school meals. I do think it's important to recognise that the Welsh Government has demonstrated its commitment to free school meals by becoming the first nation in the UK to guarantee support...
Rebecca Evans: ...labour market, including a £5.4 million boost for personal learning accounts to help workers on low incomes upskill and retrain. We're investing in our young people, disadvantaged groups, and in education, including the £176 million we are providing to local authorities, £8.3 million for curriculum reform, and £21.7 million for HE and FE demographic pressures. We're investing in...
Rebecca Evans: ...will be revisiting guidance to provide any further clarification that may be required. And in respect of the request for the statement on supply teachers, I do know that the Minister for Education has written twice to Mike Hedges with some further information outlining the support, guidance and advice that the Welsh Government and the National Procurement Service have provided to supply...
Rebecca Evans: I'll certainly ask the education Minister to provide an update on that specific issue, but I can say that Welsh Government has been very proactive in terms of providing devices for children and young people to use in order to access the online and blended learning. Just before Christmas, we announced a further £11 million to purchase a number of devices—I think, at the time, it was 35,000...
Rebecca Evans: I'm very grateful to Leanne Wood for raising those concerns, and I will be sure to raise them on her behalf with both the education Minister and the Minister for local government to explore the particular point made about the clarity of the guidance and whether or not we need to issue some further clarification to local authorities in terms of aiding their interpretation of the guidance to...
Rebecca Evans: ...access the internet to undertake their work. So, there's a great deal of work going on there, but I don't underestimate the challenges that this places on parents and families, and I know that the education Minister will be listening carefully to that contribution. And again, my colleague, the Minister for economy, will be keen, I know, in due course, to update colleagues on the response...
Rebecca Evans: ...a really useful evidence base for the Welsh Government. So, if you could share that with the health Minister, I know that he'd be keen to explore the findings of your survey. In respect of free school meals, I will, on this occasion, invite you to take up this perhaps through writing in the first instance to the Minister for local government, who will be able to raise specific concerns...
Rebecca Evans: ...out then the proportion of their salary that is being spent across the Welsh Government departments in different ways. So, an individual can see how much of their tax is being spent on health, on education, on rural community and so on. So, I think that that again is a new innovation, but I'm always keen and happy to look at what more we can do to be engaging and to engage and also to be...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for the question. The education resource and capital budget now stands at £1.9 billion for 2021-22, and that is an increase, as I say, of £102 million, or 5.8 per cent from our revised baseline. So, there's significant additional funding going into the education MEG. But, of course, the position within local authorities is also extremely important in terms of funding for...
Rebecca Evans: In recognition of the impact the pandemic has had on our children and young people, we are boosting the budget for education in 2021-22 by an extra £102 million. This is in addition to the uplift of £176 million for local government, which will support front-line services, including schools.
Rebecca Evans: ...issues and challenges in terms of our tax base, but I think that if work very carefully through that we can make some inroads. If we look at what we're doing in terms of housing and planning and in education, for example, I think that all of those things are levers that will help us grow the tax base in future. It's something that I've asked the tax engagement group as well to be thinking...
Rebecca Evans: I'm very much an admirer of the work of the Urdd, and I have had discussions with both the Minister for Education and also the Minister with responsibility for the Welsh language, when she was in her previous portfolio, although she does maintain responsibility for the Welsh language now, about the future of the Urdd and what support it might need, both in the short term but then, also, as a...
Rebecca Evans: ...community. I'm really impressed by the work that the Urdd has been seeking to do right through the pandemic. You'll have seen in the response to the pandemic with our in-year allocations that the education Minister did make funding available to the Urdd to ensure that it was in a good place to come out well from the crisis, and that it, as an organisation, wouldn't have been so badly...
Rebecca Evans: I think it's important to recognise that free school meals are one part of an important package of support that we provide to children and families who are struggling. You'll have heard me already this afternoon talk about the additional funding that we're putting into the school holiday enrichment programme, which of course is not just about providing food to those families but providing...
Rebecca Evans: Llywydd, I did undertake in Finance Committee on Friday to write to the committee with the full detail in terms of the modelling that we have undertaken to explore the cost of extending free school meals, and I'll be certain to share it also with Rhun ap Iorwerth as well as the Finance Committee to give that level of detail. Of course, this issue was raised again with the First Minister in...
